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Call centers are centralized locations at which companies field and place a large number of phone calls. As of May 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that call centers employ over 430,000 employees in the United States. Call centers are primarily engaged in two separate activities: selling products, and providing technical support and service to current customers.

Telemarketers

Telemarketers call potential customers to sell them products or services over the phone. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, half of all telemarketers worked at call centers as of May 2011. Irrespective of place of employment, telemarketers reported an average annual income of $25,920. Those who worked at call centers reported a slightly lower average income, $23,140 per year. The average hourly wage of telemarketers employed as call center representatives was $11.13.

Customer Service Representatives

Customer service representatives offer customers technical support for products that have already been sold, and resolve disputes or customer complaints. As of May 2011, the statistics bureau estimated that over 170,000 customer service representatives were employed by call centers, out of over two million customer service representatives employed in the United States. While customer service representatives in all places of employment reported an average annual salary of $33,120, those working at call centers reported significantly lower average earnings of $26,920 per year and $12.94 per hour.

Geographical Variations in Salary

Wage statistics published by the bureau indicate that the salaries of call center representatives varied significantly by state. In general, the highest-paying jobs were clustered on the Pacific West Coast, and in the Southwest and Northeast. The highest average rate of pay for telemarketers as of May 2011, $39,370 per year, was recorded in Vermont. The highest annual rate of pay for customer service representatives, an average of $41,160, was reported in the District of Columbia. The lowest-paying jobs for this occupation were concentrated in the upper Midwest and the South.

Job Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of customer service representatives in call centers will grow at a very high rate of 46 percent between 2010 and 2020, meaning that job prospects for this occupation will be very good in the decade to come. Although the bureau does not maintain employment projections specific to telemarketers, Forbes Magazine reports that telemarketing jobs declined by 25 percent between 2006 and 2011. Entry-level jobs in the call center industry should continue to be plentiful, though it is more likely that candidates will find jobs as customer service representatives than as telemarketers.

2016 Salary Information for Customer Service Representatives

Customer service representatives earned a median annual salary of $32,300 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, customer service representatives earned a 25th percentile salary of $25,520, meaning 75 percent earned more than this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $41,430, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 2,784,500 people were employed in the U.S. as customer service representatives.